Celebrating the Women in Women's Day

Frail, small, naïve that was my grandmother to the world. To me, she was strong, elegant, and inclusive.

Born in the mid-1910s my grandmother got married to a widower and was a mother to 5 grown children (one of whom was just 2 years younger) on the day of her wedding. She went on to have 3 kids of her own by the time she was 24 and then she lost her husband.

Being a single mom in the late 1930s was not easy. But she never gave up. She ensured all the 8 kids were well taken care of, fed, clothed, and educated. She got them married off one by one and saw them flourish.

All with a smile, never a frown, never a harsh word. When I decided to adopt a child without getting married, I spoke to her wanting her opinion and blessing. I was pleasantly surprised when she without batting an eyelid asked me why I hadn’t taken this decision earlier. When so many people (in the current generation) asked me why I was adopting instead of getting married and having a biological child, here she was from yester-era, encouraging me to go for it.

This is just one example of her broad-minded thinking. Be it equality (between her grandsons and granddaughters or accepting people from diverse faiths), encouraging us to fly high, or being calm in any storm my grandmother has always been an inspiration for many of us in our family.

On this Women’s Day, I want to Thank all the women before us who have made it possible to celebrate this day and many such days.

To all the Great Women before us, THANK YOU & HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY!